Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
Cancelled by Michael Pinsky (Book Review #146)
This is a political thriller story written about a President that is willing to do anything to remain in power. His time is up, but he wishes to stay, and so he decides to create conflict in the country by planting situations where the country begins to fall apart, and the only way to save it would be him becoming the dictator of the United States.
Austin Howard, a Republican candidate, and William Mendenhall, an ex-general are too busy to figure out what is going on. William places the puzzle pieces of what is aspiring to become a chaotic situation together. The president’s tactic needs a great deal of reinforcement, which William needs to pull together and that is how the author induces political theory into the minds of its readers. Could this happen to our America today?
Many of the references, acts and choices of words were clearly indicating the political struggle between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. However, the author strategically choose not to say.
The literary standard of the work was in good standing, and the connectivity between the chapters and the layout were smooth enough to keep the reader’s interest. What it may have lacked was originality. The works and theories were all dramatic but were not novel. The ending of the plot was climactic, and I liked the fact that each character had their own intentions and backstory.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read political thrillers and is open about the current political situation America is facing today.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Vasa and Ypres by J. B. Chisholm (Book Review #366)
What I believe would have worked better was if the story was written in the third person narrative. It is instead written through Vasa which for a short book, made things complicated because the humor and dialogue were between Vasa and Ypres.
If you are from England and are familiar with the slang, you can easily blend into the content and enjoy the witty literature. This is a short book, and so it was a fast and enjoyable read. The work focuses on social observation, and the character personality was created in a unique way.
There isn’t much of a world setting, but the dialogue and observations covered up for it. The character development, I believe, was the strong aspect of the storyline.
If you are looking for a fast and fun read, then this book is the right one for you.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Slope of Kongwa Hill: A Boy’s Tale of Africa by Anthony R. Edwards (Book Review #147)
This review was written for Online Book Club “I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.” This book was an “OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day.”
This is an autobiographical novel written about a boy named Anthony Edwards. He moves from England to Tanganyika (situated in East Africa). The story entails his journey from the age of nine to fourteen including everything that he goes through, living at the boarding school.
The setting of the story is in the year 1948. Edwards’s relationship with his parents is odd. They have no idea what this boy is going through. The book is in three sections (The Foreigner, One of the boys, and Growing Up). Every section has its own story regarding Edward being bullied, running away, making friends, and meeting girls. At the same time, the three sections are connected creating this intriguing tale in Kongwa Hill.
I enjoyed the truthful tales of the story written by the author. The emotions and hardship Edward was enduring clearly made you feel for the boy. The year in which the story is based from was also authentic to how it used to be back then. The literary standard was of good quality, and I barely saw any editing issues or typos.
I believe the story would have had a better start if the pace was not so slow and unclear. The prologue in particular talks about things that had nothing to do with the story. The backstory also did not assist in providing enough foundation for the rest of the tale to be built on. There were too many descriptions that didn’t allow the characters to develop to their full potential and although the ending was hopeful it still was vague and did not define any clear summary.
I would recommend this book to those that like to read autobiographies situated in Africa.
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Coping With Death & Destruction by Arrison Kirby (Book Review #150)
This review was kindly requested by Arrison Kirby.
Coping with death and destruction is a collection of fictional stories written with the intent to make you smile, cry, and ponder as you read. This twelve-chapter book, blends in with the deaths that occurred in 2016 losing people like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince, Carries Fisher and more. The stories are written to bring out the sense of endlessness and to provide comfort. Each story is a standalone short segment of what surpasses to be covering themes that you would ultimately enjoy reading by the end of the chapter.
I felt that the book was providing a text under its subtext and attempting to deliver a more in-depth meaningful message by covering it up with comedy and realism. This may work for some and may not work for others. The comprehension and wordings used to describe the stories were sometimes too heavy to transcend. This is not to word anything against the book. It just means that not everyone would possibly get it.
The literary standard within the content of the short stories was in high standing. I appreciated the prologue explaining the reason why they had featured a dog on the cover. There is much more love and kindness in this book rather than death and dying. The setting of the stories is another feature that works in making this book different. They are all situated in various countries in the world.
I recommend this book to anyone that wishes to read about pop science fiction, fantasy, fiction and all other good things.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Perceptual Hypnosis by Dr. Fredrick Woodard (Book Review #365)
I personally found this book very interesting. The work was clearly written with much care, research, and love. I felt that the book was the work of an author who has taken years of his time attempting to create a masterpiece of which empowers and lightens the reader using a new approach based on the past. It expands the knowledge and comprehension of the hypnotic process.
The key feature is that Dr. Woodard believes that to understand hypnosis one would need to involve differentiation rather than the traditional dissociation. The literature is written in an effortless and organized way. It had a nice flow to it and would suit the open mind and professionals that are studying the subject.
I would recommend this book to people that are interested in the paranormal and spiritual journey. Anyone with psychological and hypnosis background would also find this work to be worth reading.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Curious Case of William Alexander Redwood by Mark Benjamin (Book Review #137)
This is a short horror story revealing events in the life of William Alexander Redwood, and his efforts to find out what was in his Grandpa’s secret room.
The tale begins as William wakes up under a rough hood and is tied to a chair. He doesn’t remember how he got there or why he is there. As he awakens, his body and mind begin to function again. He realizes that he is not alone. He hears noises and starts to whimper and then scream. A swift blow to the back of the head silences him once more, and that is when the reader enters the memories of William Alexander Redwood.
This short story has many twists and turns. It leaves you continually guessing at what William is hoping to find in Grandpa’s secret room. I enjoyed the suspense in this short story. The writing was dark and mysterious right up until the end.
This horror story would be the perfect for Halloween with an older crowd. Although the book is thirty pages, it still manages to have a substantial plot and many horrific scenes that would not be suitable for the younger crowd.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes to read a book in one sitting and enjoys horror stories.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman: A Novel by Brady Stefani (Book Review #123)
This review was written for Online Book Club
“I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.”
This book was an “OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day.”
The Alienation of Courtney Hoffman is a young adult novel written about a 15-year-old girl named Courtney. The story begins on the night of her birthday. Courtney has an imaginary friend called Astra that she confines in. More interestingly, she has dreams and visions of alien-like people that scare her. She remembers a few things from being very young. Her grandfather was trying to drown her, talks about aliens coming to get her and a tattoo symbolizing something that she does not fully understand.
She is very frightful of being stigmatized as crazy, and the people that visit her claiming that she is part of something similar to an alliance do not help her situation at all. Her mother dumps her into a mental house where Courtney makes friends with a girl named Agatha. She tells Courtney to contact her when she gets out. The journey begins once these two meet again and Courtney realizes if she really is crazy or is everything real.
The author portrays this young girl’s situation in a very well laid out plot. There are references to mental illness, and the journey one takes to self-discovery. Courtney is very strong-minded and has a beautiful personality. Something that our youth can look up to and subsequently, this makes the book an ideal read for our young adults.
For parents looking for idyllic books, this would be it. It has that thriller feeling and suspense throughout the whole story. I believe that the author researched well into the psychological impact and the emotional consequences one endures when they are stigmatized as a mental person.
I recommend this book to people that like to read on mental illness, aliens, fantasy and magic tales.
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Written by Jeyran Main
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Golden Gremlin: A Vigorous Push from Misanthropes and Geezers By Rod A Walters
Golden Gremlin: A Vigorous Push from Misanthropes and Geezers
By Rod A Walters
Genre: Nonfiction/Humor
The worlds really needs that push, vigorous or gentle, from misanthropes & geezers, the world’s most valuable golden gremlins. Misanthropes pretend to not like or need other people, but in reality they merely prefer their own company much of the time. Geezers, besides that silly name, also like their own company quite well. Both share the virtue of seeing the world calmly. Written to make Dave Barry, Lily Tomlin, and Ben Stein laugh, Golden Gremlin: A Vigorous Push from Misanthropes and Geezers delivers the wisdom of a calm life, and the wisdom to like most of it and laugh at the rest. Heck, Barry lives in Miami, habitat of geezers, and Ben Stein is one. You get pointy bite-sized life pointers from experienced gremlins, told in easy bite-size chunks. Laughter included in the price!. Two out of three wouldn’t be bad either.
Life is good! So laugh a little at yourself on the way through these pointy essays, and that will buy your laughing at the world’s simpler parts, guilt free.
Gremlin comprises about 70 short essays bundled into six topic areas:
NATURE: boys, poop, and carbon footprinting
WORDS: the real meaning of Caucasian
KITCHENS: Dollar Store kale
BUSINESS: stakeholders — through the heart
HISTORY: when Hell froze, and how Earth Day got born
Golden boy gets to be GOLDEN GREMLIN (the ultimate “Gotcha’ last!”)
What things could possibly be more important!
About the Author
Rod Walters lives and writes in upstate New York, an excellent place where one can truly prove he can be an all-season writer. Since he wants everybody to be all-season persons no matter what her or his lifestyle looks like, his writing tends sharply toward the practical—without turning into one of those godawful do-it-perfectly-yourself (DIpY) authors. Life, after all, is practical moment by moment. Certainly described “old enough to know better, and he might actually be,” his former life as Army officer, engineer, and administrative assistant could not have been better arranged to write both light and heavier pieces pointing to creating a balanced life. Chuckling at yourself usually makes a good start. Then again, who the heck wants to live a balanced life? He suspects that just about everybody does. That’s why he now writes. Although many friends nudge and badger him to Facebook- and Twitter-it-up, he tries not to spend 15 hours a day with circular and brain-dimming keyboarding activity. His books work better.
Website: http://www.iewriter.com/
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2A6Sb6r
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An Empire in Runes by Jeffrey L Kohanek (Book Review #136)
An Empire in Runes is part three of a fantasy series continuing the story of Brock and his compatriots in their journey to confront a horde of monsters that destroy anything in their path.
We continue with Brock after they have taken over the prison which is holding on to people that are Unchosen, (without a rune). These are humans that have no standing in society but possess the power of Chaos within them. Brock begins to train these people. This is a power that even he is still not yet that comfortable with. However, there are those in the Ministry that are trying to keep the power of Chaos hidden and are working against Brock to prevent the return of it. They are willing to do anything necessary to prevent Brock from succeeding.
They have to be fast, for this ancient prophecy to be fulfilled. Brock and his faithful followers must do everything they can to prevent the end of days. Not only are they trying to build their forces to defend humanity but also they all must watch their backs from the mysterious faction in the Ministry that is trying to prevent them from showing the world the power of Chaos. If Brock reveals the return of Chaos to be among the Unchosen then this will disrupt the balance of society, which is built upon the runic symbols of the Chosen.
The Buried Symbol (The Runes of Issalia #1) by Jeffrey L. Kohanek (Book Review #86)
I really enjoyed the continuation of the tale of Brock and his followers. They have become quite a tight-knit group and have gone through so much together. It was nice to see the building of multiple relationships, romances, and friendships that were entailed within the content. The author has eloquently captured the joys and frustrations of the antagonist Brock in his effort to not only master a lost art but to also try to teach it to those that have the gift.
At times I felt that the story focused a little too much on Brock and his group without flipping to the other story lines to keep the urgency of the situation, but I was still enraptured in the web that was woven of everything that took place. The amount of action, adventure, twists, and turns keep you continually wanting to read more on finding out the eventual outcome of this well-written novel.
The literary standard was high and never faltered to describe the situations, surroundings, and conversations of the characters. I felt that the romantic scenes did leave some to the imagination, which was quite nice. This also kept the book open to a younger audience.
The Emblem Throne: The Runes of Issalia, Book II by Jeffrey L Kohanek (Book Review #101)
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys well-written fantasy stories, which do not disappoint. This is not a stand-alone book. Therefore, it is recommended that the reader begins this journey from Part 1.
Written by Jeyran Main
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